


Another Love Affair

by lowdenlowden (scottishlowden)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Heartache, Multi, Sad!Louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-16
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-29 11:43:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/686585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scottishlowden/pseuds/lowdenlowden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is cut up over the whole Haylor debacle, being blown off at New Year and dealing with unresolved feelings. All he wants is his best friend back to tell him he's worth something.</p><p>Based off an anon prompt on tumblr.  (I'm horrible at summaries)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Love Affair

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote over a thousand words at 2am so I hope it flows okay. Also, I’m not sure if this is entirely what anon wanted but once I started writing it steered itself off a bit, so maybe not everything is there. Hope its okay.
> 
> I love Taylor but I had to write in a different way to suit the story and prompt. Sorry. I didn’t really write anything bad about her I don’t think.

Louis wasn’t mad. He wasn’t angry. He didn’t want to punch Harry in the face. Well okay, maybe he did a little. He wanted to punch Taylor too and that made him feel worse. Louis knew full well that a person cannot help who they fall for, whether they are right or wrong, the heart wants what the heart wants and there is no stopping it.

But Louis didn’t anticipate his best friend to begin shutting him out, cancelling plans and leaving him all the time. He knew it was hard juggling a career and a relationship when being in a different country to your girlfriend, hell, Louis had been doing that for the past two years. But he still hated how Harry was behaving. It had been merely two months for Christ’s sake, he was obsessing over this relationship too much and pouring too much of himself into it too soon. It wasn’t healthy and yeah, it scared Louis too.

Being two years Harry’s senior, Louis couldn’t help how protective he felt over him, of course their friendship was a large chunk of it, but he cared so much that he didn’t want to see the younger boy get his heart broken. He was too young for that.

Louis had painfully trailed through the Harry Styles tag on twitter and tumblr, he didn’t know why he did it or what on god’s earth possessed him to do such an idiotic thing. It was like he wanted to be hurt for his friend, like he wanted to read the nasty comments and feel some pain from their fans. The post and status he saw makes his stomach twist, his head pound, his hands clench all while the tears built in his eyes. You asked for this Louis. It’s your fault.

He was seething, completely and utterly seething. How could their so called fans be so horrible? Sure, there had been some comments passed around by the band about Taylor, they weren’t her biggest fans and replied very nonchalantly to interviews questions when the subject of the couple arose but it didn’t mean it made it easier to read these things. Harry was their brother; he didn’t deserve this when he was trying to have a shot at happiness.

As New Year was approaching, Louis was preparing for his party, the world and his wife was invited and he was looking forward to seeing everyone after their Christmas break. The boys would be making their way to his early on NYE and they would be helping him set up, he was stoked. However his excitement was dampened when he received a text message from the curly haired boy, informing him that he wouldn’t be attending due to an impromptu decision to fly out to New York to welcome the new year with his girlfriend. It hurt and now, now Louis was angry. Lou knew that if he was in Harry’s situation he would have been conflicted, but with a relationship so new, he shouldn’t blow off his best friends to be in a different country. It was unfair and out of line.

He’d kept a smile on his face throughout the whole night; he wouldn’t let Harry dampen his party. So he posed for pictures, poured drinks and played a good host all while drinking himself stupid.

It wasn’t until the next morning when he woke up in bed next to Eleanor who was still passed out, that he checked his twitter, pictures of Harry & Taylor sharing a New Year kiss flooding the Harry tag, that he felt a little sick. Whilst he had gone on record countless times, expressing his dislike for the ‘Larry Stylinson’ attention, he’d be lying If there wasn’t some underlying tension between the two, a connection if you will. Naturally he felt a little sick and scrambled as quickly and as carefully as he could from his bed to the bathroom, hurling the alcohol and upset from his body. He wasn’t too sure when he started crying, or when he felt numb or just why he was feeling this affected.

He also didn’t know when he had decided it would be a good idea to leave Harry a voicemail.

__

“Stop fucking up Haz, I can’t take this. Come home.”

 

It wasn’t until around nine pm that he had a response from the younger boy, he’d been checking his phone all day, already knowing that with the time difference he wouldn’t be awake before evening where Louis was. He snatched his phone from the nightstand and opened the text message, breathing in large mouthful of air to calm him.

__

_“I know. I’ll be home tomorrow tonight. Promise. X”_

 

And now all he had to do was wait. Wait another twenty-four hours. Great, that gave him plenty of time to bottle all of this up and lose all courage. Louis couldn’t help his eye roll. He didn’t reply. He didn’t have anything else to say. Harry would have to wait.

Louis woke up late the next afternoon to an empty bed save for himself. El had left and he was lying in his bed and surviving in his house all alone. It was a new year and he should have been happy. Still celebrating perhaps. No, he most certainly shouldn’t have felt like he wanted to cry again, nor should he have been feeling sorry for himself. He’s twenty-one years old, this was bordering pathetic. Actually, he had hit pathetic. More like bordering on obscene.

He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t contemplated texting Harry or checking to see what time his flight would be due to arrive. Because he had. But instead he chose to eat some food, grab a glass of water and sit in his lonely living room watching some shite on television. It shouldn’t have been like this, Louis had a beautiful girlfriend whom he loved and she felt the same. Why was he feeling so caught up on Harry? He only had some fucked up, barely existing, feelings for him.

Louis didn’t notice the sound of the door opening at first; he too didn’t hear the sound of Harry’s footsteps across the marble floor, nor the squeak of his suitcase wheels. In fact, he didn’t notice the other’s presence until Harry kissed the top of his head. It startled him, causing him to squeak and swivel around to face Harry at lightning speed.

The pair stared at each other for a while, unsure what to say, unsure what to do and remaining captivated in the stare of the other man. It was like they were seeing each other for the first time.

“I’m home.” Harry uttered, not breaking eye contact.

Louis didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, although he’d cried enough the past twenty-four hours so he let out a small smile and dove over the back of the sofa and into Harry’s arms. He didn’t care if he looked needy or clingy or like a girl, because he was just thrilled to see his best friend standing there. All of the anger and hurt flooding away for those moments he was being embraced by the curly haired Cheshire lad. Although he had taken a quick glance to see if ‘the girlfriend’ was in tow. She wasn’t thankfully.

“You worried me Lou.” Harry whisper, clutching the childlike man, stroking his hair and resting his chin on the older man’s head.

“I worried me too.”

Neither of them spoke for a couple of minutes more. Harry hesitantly let go of Louis and sat beside him on the sofa, pulling him into his side.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Louis didn’t know how to answer that. It was no secret between the both of them that there were some shared feelings, neither had denied it but they both identified as heterosexual and with Louis in a committed relationship, they thought nothing more of it. Maybe it was natural for two boys as close as they are, living together and touring together and spending virtually every second of every day together. Maybe it was inevitable.

So instead, Louis shrugged, trying to brush it off as he let his head fall against Harry’s shoulder and let out a small sigh.

“Let me rephrase, you are going to tell me what’s wrong.” Louis’ eyes slid shut.

“Do I have to talk about it?” the older groaned, desperate for Harry to drop the subject.

“Yes you do, Lou. I left my girlfriend early because you needed me, you owe me an explanation.” Oh. Louis didn’t think he’d do that. He didn’t think Harry would come home early for him, he just assumed he’d be on his way home anyway. Harry must have seen his friends face fall further. “Yes, I left for you Louis, so please tell me.”

“I can’t Harry.”

“Don’t give me this bullshit Louis.” Harry pulled himself from Louis and stood, towering over the Doncaster native.

“We promised we wouldn’t do this but I broke it anyway and I fucked up. Okay, Harry? I fucked up and we can’t even talk about this.” Harry tugged on his curls in frustration wondering what the hell Louis was talking about.

“You’re talking in riddles.”

“Feelings, Harry. Feelings.” Louis was feeling really vulnerable with the younger boy looming over him, he felt helpless and like a scolded child, “Our feelings.” And now Harry understood. Of course he did. It was something he’d struggled with the past couple of years.

“Why now? Why are you saying all of this now? Why not back when we discovered this?”

Now Louis would sound selfish, but Harry wanted to know and he owed him that much, “Jealousy. Seeing you with Taylor has officially broken me and I hate it. I really really hate it.”

“You have no right to say that, you knew how I felt yet you still dated Eleanor and have continued to do so the past two years.”

“I know, but I was scared. And I’m sorry for feeling this way, okay? I’m sorry that I’m selfish and jealous and hurt, I have no right to feel this way but you’re my best friend and I’ve missed you. Taylor pretty much hates me; she’s not the biggest fan of us all but me especially. God she told me to my face and it hurt but you were so happy.” He took a pause for breath before uttering, “I feel like I don’t mean anything to you anymore.” by now Louis was on the verge of sobbing, his emotions were everywhere as he finally confirmed his feelings, made Harry aware that he felt this way and confirmed his fears to both Harry and himself for the first time.

“You’re crazy, Lou,” Harry’s face softened, if there was one sight he hated, it was sadness upon Louis’ face. Seeing the older man cry broke his heart, someone so beautiful should never be so sad, “You know I love you,” he lowered his head and scratched his neck before sitting on the coffee table across from Louis, “I- um- this is how I felt every time I saw you and El, I was angry and hurt and wanted to hate you so much but I’d see how happy you were and I couldn’t help but be chuffed for you. Seeing you smile makes me happy and if I had to let someone else have you for you to feel that way then I had to bite my tongue and let it happen.”

And oh wow, fuck, Louis had never wanted nor loved Harry as much as he did in that moment, with feelings that he was trying to will down, Harry wasn’t helping. How had he not known that he’d made his friend feel that way? It was shitty and he’d never spared a thought throughout his own relationship to how Harry could have felt. In reality he had the best of both worlds and he’d taken it for granted at the expense of the happiness of a boy he pretty much loved. Yes, Louis felt horrible and sick and didn’t actually know how Harry could even stand to still be friends with him.

“I- why didn’t you tell me all of this?”

“Who was I to protest our relationship, you’re both in love. When I met Taylor, I felt different; she was someone who wanted me for me and not to get her name in the paper. She had her own success so she didn’t have to be with me to further her own career.”

“Are you happy with her?”

“I am.” Louis nodded and bit his lip, he’d be fine with this because really all they were supposed to be is friends, nothing more, nothing less, “But she’s still not you.”

“Why do we keep torturing ourselves this way?”

“It proves our feelings aren’t just going away. We’ve tried to fight this and our feelings won’t leave us.” Harry took hold of one of Louis’ hands as the tears collected in his eyes, stoking the back of his with the pad of his thumb, soothing himself just as much as Louis.

“Sometimes I really wish we didn’t feel this way, it would make it so much easier but then sometimes I’m so overwhelmed by you and how you make me feel that I can’t have any of it. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“Me either.”

“We can’t do anything about it though, we’re both in relationships. I still love El and you still have Taylor.”

“I know.”

“I don’t want to guilt trip you but why did you blow me off at New Year? I just wanted you here but I felt like I came second best to her again. No- that’s not fair because you have this new relationship but I think you’re taking it too far. You’re moving too fast. “

“I don’t think I know any different, Lou. I thought it would take my mind off you, distance myself a bit to give us space but it seems I hurt you, it was never my intention.” Harry leaned forward, resting his forehead against Louis’ and stared once again into his eyes. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, caressing the other’s cheek, both boys sighing and eyes fluttering shut.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Louis whimpered.

“I’m hurt every day that I can’t be with you.” Without thinking twice, Louis pressed his lips firmly against Harry’s. Right now he didn’t care that they both had girlfriends, all that mattered was the two of them. They had to stop pleasing everyone else and give into what they needed. Harry & Louis needed each other like they needed air; there was no room for thought when they had felt the press of each other’s lips sliding against their own.

So the men revelled in the feeling, forgetting the outside world , forgetting everything that existed aside from themselves, they’d deal with the world tomorrow, but tonight the lovers were reunited and they deserved each other’s happiness.


End file.
